Interpol captures in Honduras an Ecuadorian accused of a fatal hit-and-run in New York

New York.- An Ecuadorian man accused of causing a hit-and-run that left one compatriot dead and another seriously injured in Queens was extradited to New York after remaining outside the United States for several months and being arrested in Honduras thanks to an Interpol red notice.

The defendant, Jonnathan Barbecho, 30, a resident of East Hampton, Long Island, appeared this week before the Queens Supreme Court to answer to a formal indictment of 19 counts, including vehicular manslaughter and assault. A judge ordered him to remain in custody and scheduled his next hearing for August 21. If convicted, he could face more than 25 years in prison.

The process is related to an event that occurred around 4:00 a.m. on January 1, 2026 in Corona, Queens. According to the District Attorney’s Office, Barbecho had been with several people at a bar hours earlier and subsequently left driving a white Chevrolet Traverse.

Authorities maintain that he was traveling at high speed on 102nd Street when he reached the intersection with 37th Avenue and struck Darwin Adrián Malan Cargua and Luis Paco Romero Gaucho, both Ecuadorian, while they were crossing in the crosswalk.

Malan Cargua, 27, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office, died as a result of his injuries, becoming the first traffic fatality recorded in New York in 2026. Romero Gaucho, 23, survived, but remains in a vegetative state, according to authorities.

The indictment states that Barbecho did not remain at the scene to assist the young people. After traveling a short distance, he allegedly stopped the truck, but reportedly refused to return to the scene and subsequently separated from the people who were traveling with him.

One day after the hit-and-run, during the early hours of January 2, the suspect took a flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport bound for Ecuador. Investigators subsequently located the SUV he was allegedly driving, without license plates or registration and with front-end damage consistent with a collision.

The investigation then faced an obstacle: Ecuador does not maintain an extradition treaty with the United States, according to information cited by the Prosecutor’s Office. Once Barbecho was identified as the alleged driver, New York authorities requested Interpol’s intervention and obtained a red notice to facilitate his international arrest.

The strategy allowed for his location months later when he was attempting to enter Honduras. The authorities of that country intercepted him and he was subsequently sent back to the United States to face the open case in Queens.

The Prosecutor’s Office further maintains that Barbecho had his license suspended since 2025 following a previous case for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol. On that occasion, a test reportedly recorded a blood alcohol level of 0.106, above the legal limit of 0.08. That file was still pending when the New Year’s hit-and-run occurred.

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz highlighted the cooperation between different agencies to return the defendant to New York and bring him to justice for events that, according to the indictment, began with driving under the influence and ended with the death of one person, another seriously injured, and the suspect’s subsequent departure from the country.